Finally, I’m home. Stayed late in the office once again but hopefully it’s for the last time. Plus I wasn’t lonely coz I could hear two guys Wii bowling away while I worked (JTT and CD also made a bunch of wise cracks about me at one point. Grr!) During a bowling lull, JTT was thoughtful enough to stop by my cube and chuck a bunch of paperboard coasters at me. Of course, I had to retaliate with a few of my own. The final result was coasters strewn all over the floor. Fun stuff. JTT had the best “score” with three hits in a row. A “turkey”, CD commented.
After I inhale my dinner, I’m going to drive thirty minutes to the nearest bookstore and see how long the line is. If it looks reasonable, I may just get the last ever Harry Potter book tonight! Wooo!
The Harry Potter era is finally drawing to a close - the book era, anyway. The movies have a couple more years to go, if the actors can (or are willing to) hold out that long. I’m not that into the movies, so for me, it’s all about tonight.
Tamale informed me early this morning that there were already people lining up outside his local Borders bookstore. This does not bode well for my plan of lining up after I get off from work. I’d really like to see what happens during these launch parties but if it’s too crowded when I get there, I’m just going to head home and get it the next morning. Besides, even if I did get it at 12:01am I still wouldn’t read it until Saturday afternoon to early Sunday morning. I do enjoy Harry Potter but I’m not that die-hard a fan.
Predictions? Surprisingly, I haven’t been surfing on the Harry Potter sites or boards so I have little idea of what to expect. I did glimpse a fact that at least 2 main characters would die. Snape is a most likely candidate. I strongly believe he’s a good guy despite his flaws, and that he will prove his integrity by his death. We can’t always believe what Harry thinks - he’s an unrealiable narrator after all.
As for the 2nd character, that’s in the air. Neville? Some officemates were theorizing that Neville would turn out to be the one to save the day but that would kind of defeat the whole lead-up to the battle between Harry and Voldemort. Neville will probably play a critical part in getting Harry to where he needs to be, and it would make sense for him to prove himself worthy of Gryffindor by becoming a martyr.
Tamale made a morbid comic strip in which Ron and Hermione die. I refuse to even consider that possibility because Ron and Hermione are going to finally get together and get married and pop out many wittle kids. So NO to them dying. Nuh uh. Not a peep of disagreement from any of you!
All right, I’m off. My goal for today is to try to knock off before 8pm so I at least have a chance of getting a spot in line that’s actually inside the bookstore.
There’s no better way to realize how many muscles you don’t (or do) use than to play a sport you’ve never played before.
Sports, serious team sports, freak me out. Or used to. I’m not sure right now. Okay, so I’m slowly trying to get over it. This may seem odd to athletic people but that’s because they were trained to handle the pressure. If you’re not used to it, sports can be pretty overwhelming. It’s the competition and the stress of people depending on you, the fact that when you literally drop the ball, everyone knows it was you, you who lost it.
Luckily the team I got roped into had a perfect season of all losses, so no pressure there. I still think they tricked me, though. I joined only because they desperately needed girls and because I was allowed to play only the early games (which totaled to 2 last season). Better than nothing, yes? I initially asked if I’d have to buy anything and they said no. Then I asked again once I was committed, and they said, “Yeah, it’s probably best if you do…” Ohhh, how sneaky!
Having no clue how to play softball, I thought it was wise to come in for a couple of practices to learn the basics. The first practice consisted of a small group of “five”. (To put it another way, I was the only one who didn’t bring a boyfriend.) Our coach gave me some tips on catching and later re-taught me how to bat. Catching is fun when someone throws it to you. Now, if someone hits it your way, that’s… challenging, possibly even painful. Batting? Extremely frustrating all around.
Mainly, it sucks to suck.
The day after practice, I was sore, sore, sore! It was mostly my back and arms that were complaining so much that it affected the way I walked. I’m told I sort of waddled if I wasn’t paying attention. It goes to show that warming up properly can make a big difference in how you feel afterwards. Will do that next time.
Warning: Filipino post coming up. Out of respect to those who can’t relate, I’ll be giving a heads-up from now on so you can ignore these kinds of posts.
Despite YouTube’s popularity and my love of web stuff, I haven’t gotten into the whole anyone-can-make-videos fad yet. There are people who hang around YouTube watching anything and everything, sometimes even leaving a flaming comment here and there. Then there are people like me who only come to it when someone points a link her way or if she’s curious about the latest commercial (which she doesn’t see anymore thanks to the magic of fast-forward on her DVR).
A couple months back, Mishy introduced me to the comedy (and gorgeous voice) of a cute kid known as KevJumba. Such was my instant adoration that I finally registered a YouTube account just to leave a comment. While I was at it, I figured I should subscribe too. Unfortunately during a dry period of no KevJumba videos, I dropped off of YouTube again because really, who has the patience to watch a long rambling video blog done by someone else as n00b-y as myself?
I’ll tell you who: my BFM. In his boredom, he found some interesting vids. One long one in particular featured some YouTubers who I later found out were famous YouTube personalities. Like any community, there are a few elect people on the site who get really popular and who sometimes “crossover” with other personalities. Gone are those days where you were on your own, talking about just yourself. Now you have to respond to other people’s vids and face up to video comments or millions of judgmental text comments.
Among the famous personalities I saw in that video, I started to wonder why there were no big shot Filipino YouTubers. Considering that most Filipinos are naturally creative - kick-ass singers, extremely web savvy, awesome graphic artists etc. - you’d think they’d be taking advantage of this worldwide stage.
Silly me, I should’ve known - they have! BFM led me to Happyslip who can do an awesome Filipino accent that contrasts with her completely American accent. (It’s no surprise she can; I noticed that Fil-Ams have this weird fixation on imitating the Filipino accent. Another entry, perhaps…) I love her Boypren video, not only because she can portray so many different Filipino characters but also because it guests none other than KevJumba! Gosh, YouTube crossovers are fun indeed.
Boypren
Another great thing about YouTubers is their indie feel. KevJumba uses well-known artists but Happyslip keeps it indie with her music. In Boypren, she features this laid-back, catchy love song by a starting artist called Josh Verdes. It’s called “Save Me” and it is absolutely awesome. It’s like a late summer afternoon when the breeze is the right mix of warm and cool, or walking by the waterfront with someone while the day draws to a close. In pretty-speak, it’s groove-making.
The CD isn’t out yet but I’ll be waiting for it! In the meantime, I’m going to subscribe to Happyslip, bringing my subscriptions to a grand total of 2!
EDIT: Noticed I was getting hits for lyrics, so here you go! Transcribed by me so there may be errors. =)
“Save Me” Lyrics
by Josh Verdes
Save me
I feel like I’m goin’ crazy
I’ve got this lady
She’s got me on my knees
I’m sayin’ baby, baby please
Don’t leave tonight
Without giving me some of your lovin’
It makes me weak
Somebody save me
And lately, I feel like I’m goin’ crazy
I’ve got this lady
The way her lips just move
The way her hips just groove
The feeling I get when she says my name
It’s a feeling that never feels the same
Save me
Coz I’ve found a love that’s a one-of-a-kind
This time I’m in for it
I know I’m in it just way too deep
Someone, oh someone save me now
And lately, I know I’m goin’ crazy
I’ve got this lady
And now that’s all I think about
The next time i can take her out
I really don’t want to feel this way
But I think it’s already way too late
Save me
Oh oh oh oh
Coz I’ve found a love that’s a one-of-a-kind
This time I’m in for it
I know I’m in it just way too deep
Someone, oh someone save me
Coz I’ve been there
Way too many times before
And every time I say
It’s not gonna work
Not this time
So save me
Just save me
Somebody save me, yeah
Whoa
*guitar shtuff*
Coz I’ve found a love that’s a one-of-a-kind
This time I’m in for it
I know I’m in it just way too deep
Someone, oh someone
I said someone save, save me now
Save me now
It’s always been hard to get a hold of DC and today is no different. I woke up to the sound of my cell ringing (I’m glad I didn’t leave it on silent). Even before I checked the caller ID, I knew it was DC calling to cancel. I completely understand why, but awww! No movie for me today then. The 5th Harry Potter movie will be out for at least a few more weeks so it’s unlikely I’ll miss it. I’ll probably catch it in August. I can’t watch it next weekend, obviously. That’s when the last book comes out!
I’m still undecided if I want to get the book at midnight. So far, I’m thinking a tentative yes even though I’ll probably go home and sleep as soon as I get it. It’s inadvisable to stay up late reading until dawn, unless you’re keen on getting an eye strain. That’s what happened to me back in college. I stayed up really late reading the fourth book of Harry Potter, unable to put it down until I finished it. The next morning, my eyelid twitched and kept twitching the whole day. I’d press a finger on it to stop it but as soon as I let go the twitch was back with a vengeance. Very, very annoying.
I wonder if there’s any way to read for hours and hours without the consequence of getting an eye twitch, headache or eye strain.
Despite the title, nothing interesting happened today, unless you consider foregoing a day off to go to work as interesting. Our plans to go to the fair fell through and my work load was still heavy so I decided to come in and be merry. Besides, they were having a T-shirt iron on party! I took the time to go out with an engineer and buy a blank shirt but I didn’t have time left to iron anything on because I was trying to clear things out for the weekend. For someone my age, Friday night would be a good time to go out and hang about the city. Not for me. I’ve been spending the past few at work. It’s not that bad - there’s usually people staying late and often they’re on the Wii bowling up a storm or having a drink.
Tonight was the latest I ever stayed. The time I got out would’ve been perfect if I’d decided to go to that get-together in the city. Instead I headed home because I’m waking up early tomorrow to watch Harry Potter at last! I managed to find someone to go with me, but if I’d looked around the office more I would’ve found another girl who was watching the movie at Imax this weekend too. Oh well. I haven’t seen my friend DC in ages anyway. About time for us to catch up. Our lives are very different what with her having a kid, but the few times I do actually catch her are usually fun, like a sunny day in the middle of a rainy spring. Who says we can’t get along with people radically different from ourselves? It’s easier than it sounds, totally.
You’d think summer rain was the kind of unusual event you read about in books or saw in movies, but nope, it actually happens! Too bad I wasn’t awake to witness it. When we woke up this morning, the streets were wet and the clouds hugged the sky like a really depressing gray sweater. It’s July and clearly summer already. Weird weather. It might be making up for the fact that we hardly got any rain during the winter months.
Still, I hope it clears up by Friday the 13th (woooo, scary!) coz I’m going to the local county fair that day. Speaking of which, it’s sad to see that they’re shortening the period the fair runs. It used to go on for two weeks, but now it’s down to only 5 days. That’s… not a lot of time to check it out. State fair, anyone?
If I don’t make it to the fair, then I’m definitely going to go out and watch the 5th installment of the Harry Potter movie. I. Must. See. It. I miss the Philippines in times like these - I have two friends there that I watched the first three movies with. It was like tradition. They were also first on my loan list whenever I bought a just-released Harry Potter book.
I was torn between ordering the last book online or reserving it in-store. In the end, I thought HC put it best when she said she preferred reserving the book so she could pick it up in the store. Buying online meant waiting for deliveries, and sometimes those got delayed. Besides, the price is nearly the same when you add the cost of shipping.
I’m also on the fence about going to the store at midnight to get the book. There’ll be long, hellish lines but it might be worth it to see the people dressed up. It’s the last book - when will I get the chance to see another Harry Potter midnight release?
Last week’s driving experience didn’t go perfectly but I made it to the south bay all the same. Driving long distances isn’t really that hard - the interstates are mostly straight-forward (except when they split and merge, and when you have to exit on the left… okay, so they aren’t all that simple.). It’s when you actually get to the unknown town where you’re bound to get lost. I blame Google Maps! (It wasn’t user error, it was not! Really!) I took a right when I should’ve taken a left. When I got to the dead end full of bicyclists and people with dogs, I knew something had gone awry.
I slowly turned around and proceeded to go down another wrong street, all the while wishing I had a real map. Print-outs just don’t cut it. It was at that moment HC called me up to let me know they were heading out for the theatre. She gave me directions that I was able to understand only because I’d been plotting alternate routes the night before. Being prepared doesn’t mean everything will happen without a hitch, but it sure does help. It was also a great idea that I’d left two and a half hours before the start of the movie. I got there with fifteen minutes to spare!
The rest of the day made it worth the long commute. I met HC’s many friends as they arrived in ones and twos. (Random observation: for a diverse area like the bay area, there are a surprising amount of people I’ve met recently who are from Texas.) It was remarkable we got a whole row to ourselves considering how crowded the theater was during opening weekend. The movie itself was great - lots of humorous bits for both the kids and the adults. One of my co-workers was annoyed by the lead character, but I thought Linguini was a goofy kind of endearing. He was your usual not-too-bright-but-has-a-good-heart kid though, so I can see how some people may be tired of that character type.
Remy the rat was pretty cool. He knew what he loved, believed in it and went for it. He also had moral dilemmas, though the “rats steal” issue seemed kind of, well, a non-issue. What would rats do? Grow plants?
There’s been a host of movies involving animated insects and animals, and Ratatoille plays right into that field. The thing is, rats by nature aren’t cute and though Pixar tried hard, the animated versions still aren’t cute. There was a scene in the movie where a whole pack of them fell out of the ceiling and the granny went crazy sniping them with her shotgun. I don’t blame her for getting trigger-happy. Another scene that was meant to show the rats solidarity just grossed me out. I know that they sanitized themselves by going through a steamer but just watching Remy’s pack swarm through the kitchen was not a very appetizing sight.
That said, the movie was still good overall. I’m not an artist type, but to a layman like me, the graphics were amazing. The way the water moved and swirled was realistic, as well as how the wet clothes draped and dripped. Pixar is just getting better and better, huh?
I nearly forgot! Right before the beginning of the movie, they ran a short film. (Spoiler alert.) It was a humorous clip where an alien was learning how to abduct a sleeping human. You can imagine the amount of physical comedy that was involved, what with the guy bouncing off the walls or coming out the window butt first. It was the perfect crowd warmer clip.
Next to-see movie on my list is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yes. I’m one of them. I would even watch the movie all alone, such is my desire to see it.
I don’t know who came up with the movie tag line, but there couldn’t have been a better one: “The rebellion begins.” Oh yes, down with Umbridge!
